Coca-Cola's Honest Tea brand announces new line of 'Summer Refresher' beverages, available in five varieties; products to be sold exclusively at Whole Foods locations in 32-oz. glass bottles

Nevin Barich

BETHESDA, Maryland , May 22, 2014 (press release) – Honest Tea is releasing a new line of “Summer Refresher” beverages available in five innovative varieties: Original Lemonade, Berry Hibiscus Lemonade, Mango Lemonade, Mint Limeade and Half & Half Lemonade & Tea. These five, limited-edition flavors are organic and sweetened with Fair Trade Certified™ sugar—a first for the company—and only 70 calories per 8 fl. oz serving. The Summer Refreshers will be sold exclusively at Whole Foods Market® locations nationwide starting in May 2014 in 32 fl. oz glass bottles.

“Lemonades and summertime go hand-in-hand, and we saw an opportunity to innovate with an ‘Honest’ twist,” said co-founder and TeaEO Seth Goldman. “Our combination of organic ingredients, including using Fair Trade Certified sugar for the first time in our brand’s history, provides a refreshing, family-friendly beverage.”

Honest Tea’s sugar purchases for the Summer Refresher line will benefit fair trade sugar farmers in Paraguay. The fair trade premiums help pay for community development projects chosen by farmers such as farming equipment, loans to get through the time between harvests, healthcare services, electricity and public utilities, water purification, school supplies and educational stipends, and more. As part of an on-going video series that provides a look at the source of many of Honest Tea’s organic ingredients, a video travelogue was created following Seth’s recent journey to visit fair trade sugar farmers in Paraguay.

“We strive to connect people more closely to the natural world and the communities that produce our ingredients,” said Goldman. “I hope that by sharing highlights of the Paraguay trip, we can help consumers appreciate the positive impact our organic and fair trade choices have on the surrounding ecosystem and communities.”

Honest Tea was the first company to bring to market a Fair Trade Certified bottle tea in 2003 and in 2011 transitioned all of its teas to fair trade certification.

“Honest Tea shares our values and passion for high quality, responsibly-sourced ingredients, so partnering with them to develop the Summer Refreshers – from concept to trial to label and production – was a natural fit,” said Dwight Richmond, global grocery purchasing coordinator for Whole Foods Market. “We’re excited to offer our shoppers a brand new line of lemonades and teas made with both fair trade tea and fair trade sugar, so they can feel even better about enjoying their favorite summer flavors.”

Honest Tea’s new line will be available through the summer for $2.49 per bottle.

ABOUT Honest® TEA

Honest Tea seeks to create and promote great-tasting, healthier, organic beverages and extend economic opportunities to communities in need. Founded in 1998 in Bethesda, MD, Honest Tea is the nation’s top-selling organic bottled tea company specializing in beverages that are Just a Tad Sweet®. Honest Tea’s product lines include: ready-to-drink bottled teas, Honest® Ade and Honest® Kids organic thirst quenchers, Honest® Freshly Brewed iced tea, and Honest® Fizz naturally sweetened zero calorie sodas. All teas and juice drinks are USDA Organic and all tea leaf varieties are Fair Trade Certified™. In addition to being recognized by the United States Healthful Food Council for helping change the food landscape for both the body and the planet, Honest Tea is a multi-year winner of awards from the Alliance for Workplace Excellence and a Montgomery County, MD Certified Green Business. Honest Tea has won Men’s Health “Best Bottled Tea” for six years and has been included in Women’s Health magazine’s “125 Best Packaged Foods for Women” for the last three years in a row. Honest Tea is an independent operating unit of The Coca-Cola Company. For more information: www.honesttea.com.

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